This verse is part of the genealogies of Scripture. It lists Ebal, Abimael, and Sheba among the names recorded in Scripture. These genealogies trace the ancestry of tribes and families back to the earliest times. They served as legal proof of hereditary descent, needed after the exile to allot land and maintain the temple service and its hereditary duties.
The chapter was written and preserved under the direction of God's Spirit because accurate genealogies were necessary to the development and certainty of the gospel. Its genealogical record is therefore inspired Scripture and is profitable, not an uninspired or dispensable detail. Genealogies belong to the Bible and were preserved for instruction, though they are not necessarily as interesting or instructive as the Gospels or other passages and need not be read with equal frequency. The genealogical records show that God is particular and that a faithful record of every soul is kept in heaven.
This verse is part of the genealogies of Scripture. It lists Ebal, Abimael, and Sheba among the names recorded in Scripture. These genealogies trace the ancestry of tribes and families back to the earliest times. They served as legal proof of hereditary descent, needed after the exile to allot land and maintain the temple service and its hereditary duties.
The chapter was written and preserved under the direction of God's Spirit because accurate genealogies were necessary to the development and certainty of the gospel. Its genealogical record is therefore inspired Scripture and is profitable, not an uninspired or dispensable detail. Genealogies belong to the Bible and were preserved for instruction, though they are not necessarily as interesting or instructive as the Gospels or other passages and need not be read with equal frequency. The genealogical records show that God is particular and that a faithful record of every soul is kept in heaven.